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First Greater Glasgow

Zakforbes4

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15 Nov 2019
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111
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Glasgow
Why has the 206 kinda been abandoned with new buses now I ain’t complaining I go on that route just to go on a renown, but it just seems strange why this one route doesn’t even get eclipses or E300 If anyone knows that would be nice.
 
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scosutsut

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1 Jan 2019
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scosutsut
Why has the 206 kinda been abandoned with new buses now I ain’t complaining I go on that route just to go on a renown, but it just seems strange why this one route doesn’t even get eclipses or E300 If anyone knows that would be nice.
I'd take a punt that because the route sits outside the LEZ completely that's one reason.

Having lived in the area many moons ago the local routes have always been run with cast offs with the exception of the SB Holdings days when the late 90s B10M/PS type buying spree hit! Other than that it's never really been a priority for investment.
 

Zakforbes4

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15 Nov 2019
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111
Location
Glasgow
I'd take a punt that because the route sits outside the LEZ completely that's one reason.

Having lived in the area many moons ago the local routes have always been run with cast offs with the exception of the SB Holdings days when the late 90s B10M/PS type buying spree hit! Other than that it's never really been a priority for investment.
Ah cheers
 

Zakforbes4

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15 Nov 2019
Messages
111
Location
Glasgow
A thing I belive could help first glasgow would be if they changed the 3 to a 3A/3C so the 2
3A would go Drumchapel Scotstoun partick City center shawlands silverburn Crookston govan QUEH partick Scotstoun Drumchapel

And the 3C the same only in reverse order
 

Bus Lightyear

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16 Nov 2018
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542
A thing I belive could help first glasgow would be if they changed the 3 to a 3A/3C so the 2
3A would go Drumchapel Scotstoun partick City center shawlands silverburn Crookston govan QUEH partick Scotstoun Drumchapel

And the 3C the same only in reverse order
Totally pointless.
 

Bus Lightyear

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16 Nov 2018
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542
I'd take a punt that because the route sits outside the LEZ completely that's one reason.

Having lived in the area many moons ago the local routes have always been run with cast offs with the exception of the SB Holdings days when the late 90s B10M/PS type buying spree hit! Other than that it's never really been a priority for investment.
The 206 did receive the rather uncommon Dennis Dart/East Lances Spryte when they were quite new around 20 years ago.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/77000...9-ceiWeh-2hZE5Zw-kFWiit-d1fkof-bLP38p-2hZAtiZ

''The One'' family of routes is obviously where there's money to be made and therefore justifies the investment of new or newish buses.
 

PaulMc7

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9 Jul 2019
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I'm surprised they've not tried to do even more with the 1s tbh and expand them even more with other local routes. I can understand them not getting new buses as the E300s aren't exactly that old. Such a contrast between the 1s and the X4 too. Rarely see the X4 busy outside of peaks whereas the 1s can be busy at any time. Can remember seeing before someone mention that the 1C/1D don't belong with the rest as they don't go as far but if anything they fit in so well and do far better than the 42 and 66 did. Even now the 6 has dropped so much in terms of being busy whereas the 1D stays busy most of the time. Just shows that if you take the right opportunity and capitalise on quicker routes they can absolutely work
 

Zakforbes4

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Glasgow
I'm surprised they've not tried to do even more with the 1s tbh and expand them even more with other local routes. I can understand them not getting new buses as the E300s aren't exactly that old. Such a contrast between the 1s and the X4 too. Rarely see the X4 busy outside of peaks whereas the 1s can be busy at any time. Can remember seeing before someone mention that the 1C/1D don't belong with the rest as they don't go as far but if anything they fit in so well and do far better than the 42 and 66 did. Even now the 6 has dropped so much in terms of being busy whereas the 1D stays busy most of the time. Just shows that if you take the right opportunity and capitalise on quicker routes they can absolutely work
The X4 is my local route and when I go on its always busy tbh
 

PaulMc7

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The X4 is my local route and when I go on its always busy tbh

I can get it but it's a bit of a walk. Always see it so quiet during the day. Between 3 and 6 is when I see it busiest but outside of that towards Knightswood I've barely ever seen a busy one
 

Zakforbes4

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15 Nov 2019
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111
Location
Glasgow
I can get it but it's a bit of a walk. Always see it so quiet during the day. Between 3 and 6 is when I see it busiest but outside of that towards Knightswood I've barely ever seen a busy one

I mean compared to my other local bus the 16 anything is busy
 

PaulMc7

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I mean compared to my other local bus the 16 anything is busy

Yeah the 16 is horrendous. Don't think they could make that work anymore. Not even got an idea of what they could even do to start improving it and I've usually got plenty of ideas
 

JumpinTrainz

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30 Jul 2018
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Why has the 206 kinda been abandoned with new buses now I ain’t complaining I go on that route just to go on a renown, but it just seems strange why this one route doesn’t even get eclipses or E300 If anyone knows that would be nice.

Bare in mind ‘the one’ or the 204/205/216 etc were being operated by B10Ms then latterly Scania L94s (all of which were nearing the end of their lives). It was only in 2012 did they decide to upgrade the route so prior to that even these services were getting old tat in a sense.

Lanarkshire locals were another example of this. Out of sight out of mind I thought. Now look at those routes they’ve upgraded them and surpassed themselves by how much new stock Lanarkshire routes got in the past few years. These routes must be bigger money makers now and worthy of the investment. The 206 can’t be a big money maker or justify new stock or I’m sure it would get it.
 

PaulMc7

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Bare in mind ‘the one’ or the 204/205/216 etc were being operated by B10Ms then latterly Scania L94s (all of which were nearing the end of their lives). It was only in 2012 did they decide to upgrade the route so prior to that even these services were getting old tat in a sense.

Lanarkshire locals were another example of this. Out of sight out of mind I thought. Now look at those routes they’ve upgraded them and surpassed themselves by how much new stock Lanarkshire routes got in the past few years. These routes must be bigger money makers now and worthy of the investment. The 206 can’t be a big money maker or justify new stock or I’m sure it would get it.

Out of the Lanarkshire routes I'd imagine the biggest money makers are the 201 and 267. Always been mobbed when I've used them. The upgrades to the 241,242 and 254 will definitely have helped though. 240 is in good shape too along with the 266. Lanarkshire is a pretty decent area for First I'd imagine. Still having 2 depots probably helps though.
 

Zakforbes4

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15 Nov 2019
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Glasgow
Yeah the 16 is horrendous. Don't think they could make that work anymore. Not even got an idea of what they could even do to start improving it and I've usually got plenty of ideas
I would extend it to Clydebank but then would they want to ruin their M60 service
 

Zakforbes4

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15 Nov 2019
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Glasgow
Out of the Lanarkshire routes I'd imagine the biggest money makers are the 201 and 267. Always been mobbed when I've used them. The upgrades to the 241,242 and 254 will definitely have helped though. 240 is in good shape too along with the 266. Lanarkshire is a pretty decent area for First I'd imagine. Still having 2 depots probably helps though.
The 241/242 never seams to busy but tbh I’m not from there so I don’t really know every time you see the 254 however it’s really busy and that other wee pink bus into newarthill never seems to busy
 

PaulMc7

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I would extend it to Clydebank but then would they want to ruin their M60 service

Yeah the M60 is pretty good for numbers tbh plus it would end up a very long winded route. Even from Partick to the hospital I've never seen a busy 16. The 77 is the only really busy bus to there. Even the 8 is never really busy into Partick from the hospital
 

Zakforbes4

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15 Nov 2019
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111
Location
Glasgow
Yeah the M60 is pretty good for numbers tbh plus it would end up a very long winded route. Even from Partick to the hospital I've never seen a busy 16. The 77 is the only really busy bus to there. Even the 8 is never really busy into Partick from the hospital
Tbh I feel people think you can only get the 77 same with the mcgills 17 never seen it busy
 

PaulMc7

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Tbh I feel people think you can only get the 77 same with the mcgills 17 never seen it busy

Yeah would think it would be obvious since the 8 and 16 both terminate at the hospital. I used to use the 7 before it turned to the 17 to go to college in Paisley and it was really busy then. Think a lot of people are just fed up with Mcgills now though. Would never really see First trying to fight over the network with them again though. Even in the likes of Erskine Mcgills use has dropped off a lot compared to before. They just cut away constantly too though so I can understand why
 

Jordan Adam

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12 Sep 2017
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Aberdeen
Why has the 206 kinda been abandoned with new buses now I ain’t complaining I go on that route just to go on a renown, but it just seems strange why this one route doesn’t even get eclipses or E300 If anyone knows that would be nice.

The 206 is set to get B7RLEs soon...
 

awsnews

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13 Mar 2019
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315
The 206 is set to get B7RLEs soon...
The replacements seem to be getting used away from the 206 with both 69019 and 66735 spending today on the 1D! Given that 8 B7RLEs have been quoted as being transferred in I wonder what the 208 will get as I am sure Monday to Friday the two services need 9 vehicles.
From observation the 206 never gets that busy and could no doubt manage with smaller vehicles, potentially something in the 10m category, but First as a whole hasn't been buying much in that category so the choice for cascades is limited.
As a throwback there was a time when the 206 was branded as a raillink service with ex London darts
http://www.gcsbromleygarage.com/127...-01 to 2010-01-12/slides/fg4120201290705.html
 

PaulMc7

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I'm surprised the 206 hasn't been extended to Helensburgh with the 1B cut back to either Dumbarton or Westcliff. Could even have just half of the 206s go to Helensburgh and it would give a bus link between Helensburgh and Balloch. Would be fairly long but it would be different plus the 1B between Helensburgh and Dumbarton has never been busy when I've used it. Could help with the reliability too.

The reliability is probably the worst thing about the 1s too but I'm unsure whether splitting them all at Dumbarton with local routes to Balloch/Helensburgh would be a good idea
 

cnjb8

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26 Feb 2019
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Does anyone know how many seats there are on an E300 vs E200MMC?
A E300 typically seats 40 to 46 passengers. I think Firsts seat 41. The E200MMC can sit anywhere from 29 to 45 seats but Firsts maybe 45. I'm not from Glasgow so I may have got firsts numbers wrong
 

Jordan Adam

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Does anyone know how many seats there are on an E300 vs E200MMC?
A E300 typically seats 40 to 46 passengers. I think Firsts seat 41. The E200MMC can sit anywhere from 29 to 45 seats but Firsts maybe 45. I'm not from Glasgow so I may have got firsts numbers wrong

Both First spec E200MMCs (11.5/8M) and E300s (11.9M) seat 41 (B41F), however the interior layout ahead of the rear axle on both types can be adjusted to get an extra row in (4 seats). Enivro300s at a 12.8M length (none were sold with the newer style body) have the potential to seat up to 65.
 

Bradley

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28 Nov 2018
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What one came in Caledonia depot on Friday evening because from the bridge it looked like it was 47394 as my friend was looking through my binoculars.
 

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